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Open-source CAD programs

04-14-2010, 06:39 AM

After unintentionaly started a discussion about CAD software on linux on this thread I think it's best to continue the discussion here.

My problem is simple: there are no good open-source CAD programs, especially in the gnu/linux world.
I've tried several of the ones that do exist and most are targeted at the mechanical or general engineering croud. What I need is something more generic, since I'm an (poor) architect, that would allow me to just get the job done. I don't need many features, just the ones that all the open-source alternatives to Autocad lack: a command-line that's always accessible where I can type commands to speed up the work process and the set of drawing aids that Autocad has. That's it. The one thing that Autocad has that no other alternayive has are these two things that just make it simple and very efficient to use.
Oh, and I totally loathe Autocad, but it's the only program that allows me to draw any kind of technical drawing easily and quickly, like if I was drawing by hand.

UGS NX is quite good, and runs on linux. The problem though is always the same: motif. If they continue relying on that outdated toolkit, small wonder the windows alternatives will always look better (and as someone cited pro/engineer in the previous thread: it is a small surprise that demand goes down with an interface that is terrible, compared to the windows version). If they would finally move away from motif and use something modern like Qt, they could have even more of their codebase platform independent, and give all platforms decent usability and looks.

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That one isn't free nor opensource. Although the point about motif is valid. Some opensource CAD programs have terrible UIs. Ugly UIs are only going to scare people away. I know at least it does that for me. It's like Scribus! Really nice software but are the developers stuck in 1997? Graphical related apps should have graphical modern UIs.

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So, I've tried FreeCAD briefly but it seems another engineering oriented CAD program. It's very focused on 3D although it has 2D drawing tools too. I couldn't test further because it seems to have some graphical glitches with the open-source radeon drivers. Will have to test again when I get the guts to try to install fglrx drivers.
I also tried PythonCAD which actually has an accessible-at-all-times command line and shows a black background with white lines and yellow grip points like autocad, but the similarities end there. I can't do anything with it. It seems it can't use more than one type of snap point at a time? That's strange. Also I can't find any kind of constrain options.

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Free CAD software tend to suck hard. Know why? Writing a fully functioning stable fully featured CAD program takes so much time people want money after managing to do it.
(just take a look how much a CAD software costs and you understand what I'm talking about)
I'm not saying free CAD software has to suck hard. It's just that writing decent opensource CAD software is something that requires a lot more and a lot more skilled manpower than is available. (for free; there's the manpower available if you're willing to pay for it but then we end up back in the beginning with a CAD software you sell)

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Free CAD software tend to suck hard. Know why? Writing a fully functioning stable fully featured CAD program takes so much time people want money after managing to do it.
(just take a look how much a CAD software costs and you understand what I'm talking about)

Yes, I know how much CAD software usually costs and there are somewhat cheap and good alternatives to autocad, but only on windows. When we turn to linux there is nothing that is very usefull to architects. And BTW autocad isn't what I would call stable, at least for a $2500 piece of software, although it is usually a pleasure to draw with.